Water temperature

Skip boiling water. If you start with boiling water, the coffee extracts too fast and turns bitter. Room temperature or slightly warm water is ideal—the pot will do the rest.

Tamping

Don't tamp. Unlike espresso, moka pot coffee should be loosely packed. Just level the basket and go. Tamping creates resistance that leads to over-extraction.

Cleaning

Avoid soap on the inside of the pot. Soap leaves a film that can make your coffee taste metallic. Rinse with hot water and dry thoroughly after each use.